Meet Award Winning Filmmaker Richard Yelland
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Rick Parkhill recently sat down with Richard Yelland, filmmaker and founder of Curtis Birch, where he has written, produced and directed Emmy® nominated and Webby-winning docs, spots and integrated campaigns.
Yelland's award-winning films include:
Seeding Change: The Power of Conscious Commerce, a 12-time award-winner and an iTunes featured Earth Day release with screenings at 1000+ universities worldwide.
Floating: the Nathan Gocke Story, centered on adaptive surfing and the Life Rolls On Foundation, reached international broadcast and streaming audiences and was awarded at the Cannes Film Festival.
12 Miles North told the story of Nick Gabaldon, who overcame physical and racial barriers to pursue his dream of surfing in 1940's segregated America. The Black History Month effort for Nike established Gabaldon as the first-documented surfer of color, inspired LA's annual Nick Gabaldon Day and led to a National Historic Site at the beach where Gabaldon learned to surf 12 Miles North was "unlike any surf movie you've ever seen," said ESPN and ranked number 34 on TheInertia.com's "Top 58 Surf Films of all Time."
The Birth of the Endless Summer tells the untold story of surf pioneer Dick Metz who vagabonded the globe from 1958-1961. A "must-watch” and "a beautiful film," said The Inertia, and awarded a “Top 10 Film of the Year” by IndieFest Film Awards, it’s a travel adventure that's captured the hearts and imaginations of surfers and non-surfers alike. It airs on PBS this August.
A film currently in development by Curtis Birch is “Mrs. Pipeline” which tells the story of surf legend Butch VanArtsdalen, the La Jolla surfer who became knows as “Mr. Pipeline” in the early 60s and the now the women who pushing the limits at this most famous break on the North Shore of Oahu.
Check out this discussion around impact filmmaking, surfing culture and the long-awaited rise in women’s sports.
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